So I just joined for some help in making a decision. I am going to be picking up a 850/1000 renegade. And also another quad, most likely a utility for my gf. Was eye balling the sportsman, grizzly, and outlander. But wanted to head to the dealer to get some information on these machines as I dont really know much about atvs. Was told over the phone that I could test drive one around the parking lot. I have only owned a beat up honda 250trx i think. And it was only for a couple of months. So I am clueless aside from my limited research i have done in the past week. But I have been able to understand the different classes, engine sizes, price points.

So I go in. I start talking about my situation, and what I am looking for. He shows me the different can models. I notice how BIG the renegade is compared to the quad I owned. I asked him why the big size difference, he just said thats just the way they are. OK. Tell him I have been eye balling a grizzly, and noticed the outlander can be a bit more expensive. He said yamaha has to cut some corners to keep the price down, so I was honestly taken back by that assertion. I then asked to test one out. He said he didn't have any out that could be riden. He also stated that all the quads were on the showroom. I was taken back by thats because as I walked in there were about 10 quads in the front on show. So OK!!. I then asked if i could turn a machine on to check out the gauge. He told me all the kids are dry, have no gas, and don't have a battery. So I was like ok, Thanks. I then walk over to the renegade, and hit a button. The gauge magically turns on. And i lift the seat cover and notice a battery sitting there, with cables connected to it. And to top everything off, he didnt teach me a frickin thing about quads that I didnt already know. Nothing about manual/auto trans, fox shocks, reliability, difference between brands, or anything. Arent these people supposed to know the machines they are selling???

 

Yes they should. If you can....find a different dealer. If they lie to you in presales.....just wait until you need warranty work done.

 

The answer is: Nope. Salesmen are mostly full of $hit. I'm 66 years old, and thats my observation. On the other hand, someone has to buy all those plaid suits. Way better off to talk to a mechanic who works on them. My mechanic is independent, works on all brands. He's shown me the weak points of most brands. They all have weak points. He pointed out 1 on both of the gas model Arctic Cats= a 2001 and a 2002, both had cracks in the bellows tube between the carburetor and the motor. Glad that he pointed it out before they sucked in water. So try to find a mechanic that works on them.

 

Hello. My local Can Am and Polaris dealers were good. They answered my questions and give me literature. I liked the Can Am a bit better, but believe I would have been happy with either machine. The employee at the dealer you visited was not good, needs a lot of training. Maybe you can get an appointment with the sales manager or the service manager.

I was taken back by the size of the modern ATV also. The Outlander is bigger looking than the Renegade. The increased size is due to the higher horsepower and increased function of modern ATVs. like snowplowing, mud riding, pulling "heavy (1500 pound) trailers, and the like. I find when I'm riding the Outlander Max it does not feel big and heavy. It is fun to ride and snow plow with my Outlander Max.

I think you would love the Renegade. I think it looks better than the Scrambler, however the performance of the two machines is about the same. The Can Am will cost more. And you will want to add a rear rack to carry a bit of cargo when you go trail riding.

David

 

Definitely look for a different dealer...I was lucky to find the only dealer in my area was very knowledgeable, even brought out the mechanic for me to talk to, let me go back into the shop where they had a machine apart to add some accessories and told me they would take apart anything I wanted to see inside of it. I spent 20 minutes on an obstacle course for a test drive up and down hills thru some mud and could get it up to 40 mph on there track.
I walked out of two other dealers that would not give me the time of day!!
With that said, I am not a young kid with no money, I was a 65 yr old man and I was ready to buy, but most treated me like crap. When I finally made the drive (2hrs) to my current dealer and was treated like gold, they made a sale and I have sent them even more business.
You have got to try out any machine your serious about, way to much coin to spend without a test drive. You DO need to see if you are comfortable on any particular machine as each has its pro's and con's as far as fitting your body and comfort level. Nothing worse than owning a machine your not comfortable with.

 

AMEN to that!!

 

I just may go out of my way and drive an hour or 2 away to test drive the machine on a trail or track. I made that argument with the salesperson. I wouldn't want to get a 570, spend 8k, and come to find out i need more power in a couple months. That would have been a total waste. But I dont want a liter bike and come to find out its too much power. Although i have had 2 r1's in the past, so I know i can handle the liter. Not sure if a liter is different on a quad though.

 

The Renegade 1000 and Scrambler 1000 both have 89 HP. Not much compared to a street bike but a lot for a quad and they'll both do wheelies. They both have power steering. The Scrambler is about 50 pounds heavier and I think a lot of that weight is in the frame. The Renegade has a better power/weight ratio. The Scrambler has a combined front/rear box/rack capacity of 75 pounds while the Renegade can carry 35 pounds on the rear. The Scrambler can tow 200 pounds more but most people will probably never tow anything with either quad. The Renegade is only $450 more but the Scrambler has metallic paint. That's a $300 option on a Sportsman but standard on the Scrambler. There's not as much difference in the price as I expected. They both have way more power than I'll ever need so I'll stick with something closer to what I have now.

A good dealer is worth going out of the way for. Mine is 20 miles away and I still went to them for maintenance when there was another dealer 2-3 miles away. The close one is gone but my dealer is still in business.

 

I dont have anything within 3 miles. I have a dealer 25 miles away, 30 miles, then it gets worse from there. But I doubt I will be going there again.


How can I find out about maintenance. Shall I make another post for that?

 

Most models on the showroom floor do not have batteries or fluids in them. That's not out of the norm. Now if they say they have one you can test ride, they should have one, and obviously they did.

You definitely want to find another dealer. Test the sales people out, ask them what they can tell you about any quad on their floor. If you get the same information as the stickers on the quad, you either need another salesman or another dealer.